Twarog (farmer's cheese / quark)

twaróg (PL) / Quark (DE) / сир syr (UA)

Flavor and role: An Eastern European fresh cheese of fermented, curdled milk; crumbly and tangy. Used in fillings and desserts.
Typical dishes and uses: Pierogi ruskie, Polish cheesecake (sernik), German quark desserts
Substitutes: Replace 1:1 with ricotta or drained cottage cheese.
Storage: Refrigerate and use within 3-5 days of opening. Freezing makes the texture grainy, so use frozen twarog only in cooked dishes.
Main countries: Poland · Germany · Ukraine
Used in this book: Pierogi Ruskie Syrniki (Russian Cottage Cheese Pancakes)Brown Butter Bacon Pierogi Pierogi Lasagne Bake Ghee-Seared Syrniki with Warm Berry Compote Injeolmi Syrniki with Roasted Soybean Powder and Honey Baked Lemon-Blueberry Syrniki Cups with Crumble Top Kefir-Dough Potato and Twarog Varenyky with Bacon Shkvarky

Updated 2026-10-10